Shaken baby might suffer 90 per cent 'development retardation'

The baby who suffered multiple fractures to her skull when she was hurled into the cot by her mother's partner will possibly see her physical and mental development slowed down by up to 90 per cent, a court heard this morning. Police Inspector Sylvana Briffa said the 11-month-old baby girl had multiple fractures to her skull and also had an accumulation of blood around her brain. She said that although the baby has been released from hospital since the September 12 incident, she is regularly being checked by doctors and consultants to assess her development. The inspector was testifying before Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit in the compilation of evidence against a 27-year-old man from Zabbar, who cannot be named by court order. He stands charged with the attempted murder of his partner’s baby girl when he allegedly shook her and threw her into a cot, causing her critical injuries. The incident happened in a home in  Ħamrun home early on September 12. The girl underwent an operation due to several fractures of her skull. Inspector Briffa repeated what was said in a previous court sitting that the man's admission was the second version he had given interrogators after...